How to Set Up a Starboard in Discord (Pin Your Best Messages Automatically)

To set up a starboard in Discord, create a dedicated #starboard channel, add a bot like PeakBot that supports starboard, then pick a reaction emoji (usually ⭐) and a threshold (e.g. 3 reactions). When any message hits that number of reactions, the bot automatically reposts it to your starboard channel.

A starboard is one of the easiest ways to make a server feel alive without any moderator effort. Below is the full setup, the right way to tune your threshold, and answers to the questions people actually ask (self-stars, NSFW filtering, multiple boards).

What a starboard is and why it boosts engagement

A starboard is a "hall of fame" channel. When a message earns enough star reactions from your members, a bot copies it into a single highlight channel along with a link back to the original. The community votes with reactions, and the best clips, jokes, screenshots, and wins rise to the top on their own.

It works because it turns reacting into a tiny game. People want to see their message hit the board, so they post better content. New members scroll the starboard and instantly understand the server's culture. And it's fully self-sustaining: you set it once, and your members curate it forever.

Starboards pair well with the rest of a healthy server loop. If you're also trying to drive activity, an XP and leveling system rewards consistent posting, while polls and giveaways give people reasons to show up. A starboard is the reward layer on top of all of it.

Step 1: Create the starboard channel

First, make the channel where highlighted messages will live.

1. In your server, click the + next to a category (or right-click the category) and choose Create Channel.
2. Name it something obvious: #starboard, #hall-of-fame, or #best-of.
3. Set the permissions so that everyone can see and read it, but only the bot can send messages. Open the channel settings, go to Permissions, and for the @everyone role turn Send Messages off. The bot's own role will keep posting access.

Making it read-only for members matters. The starboard should feel like a curated feed, not another chat. If people can post in it directly, it stops being special.

Put the channel somewhere visible, near the top of your channel list or in a "Community" category, so newcomers find it without digging.

Step 2: Choose the reaction emoji and threshold

The starboard reacts to one emoji. Two decisions:

The emoji. The classic choice is the ⭐ star, which is where "starboard" comes from. You can use any emoji, including a custom server emoji, but pick something with a clear meaning and don't reuse it for anything else. If ⭐ already means "favorite" somewhere in your server, choose a different mark to avoid accidental stars.

The threshold. This is the number of star reactions a message needs before it gets posted. This single setting decides whether your board feels exclusive or spammy. A rough starting point based on how active your server is:

• Small server (under ~50 active members): threshold of 2 to 3.
• Mid-size server (a few hundred active): threshold of 4 to 6.
• Large server (thousands active): threshold of 8 to 15+.

Start a little lower than you think. An empty starboard teaches people the feature doesn't work; a board with a steady trickle of new posts teaches them to keep starring. You can always raise the number once it catches on.

Step 3: Configure a bot to post top messages

Discord has no built-in starboard, so you need a bot. Add one that supports starboard, then point it at the channel and emoji you set up.

Here's how it works with PeakBot, which includes starboard free:

1. Invite PeakBot to your server from peakbot.pro and authorize it.
2. Open your server dashboard and find the Starboard feature.
3. Set the starboard channel to the #starboard channel from Step 1.
4. Set the emoji (default ⭐) and the threshold number from Step 2.
5. Save. That's it. From now on, any message that crosses the threshold gets reposted automatically, with the author, the original text or image, and a jump link.

A few bots can do starboard, and it's worth being honest about the field:

• MEE6 is the most recognized name and bundles starboard with leveling, but its full feature set sits behind premium at $11.95/month.
• Carl-bot ($7.99/month premium) has a deep, highly configurable starboard with lots of granular options, which is great if you love tweaking settings.
• Dyno ($4.99/month premium) is a reliable, no-frills moderation bot that covers the basics well.
• PeakBot is free with no time limit, includes starboard among 30+ free features, and replaces MEE6, Carl-bot, Dyno, and TidyCord with one bot. Pro extras are $8.25/month. It's currently powering 500+ Discord communities.

If you only want a starboard, any of these will do. The reason to pick PeakBot is that the same free bot also handles your XP, welcome messages, tickets, moderation, and analytics, so you're not stacking four different bots and four different subscriptions to run one server.

Tuning thresholds so it stays special

The single most common starboard mistake is leaving the threshold too low forever. On day one, a threshold of 3 feels perfect. Three months later, your server has tripled, and now half the channel is on the board. The magic is gone.

Check your starboard every few weeks and ask: does a post on this board feel like an achievement? If almost everything makes it, bump the threshold up. If the board has been quiet for a week, drop it by one.

A few extra controls most good starboard bots support, worth setting once:

• Self-star off. Don't let authors star their own message toward the threshold. It keeps the board honest.
• Channel exclusions. Exclude channels where stars don't mean "great content," like a spam-test channel, a counting game, or staff-only rooms.
• NSFW handling. Keep age-restricted channels out of the starboard entirely, or restrict the board itself, so highlighted content stays safe for the general audience.
• Edit and removal syncing. Better bots update the starboard entry if reactions drop back below the threshold or if the original gets deleted, so the board stays accurate.

Tuning is a five-minute job you do occasionally, not a chore. The goal is simple: getting on the starboard should always feel like a small win.

Starboard ideas: best clips, memes, and wins

A starboard isn't only for jokes. Once it's running, you can lean into whatever your community is about:

• Best clips. Gaming and streaming servers thrive on a starboard full of clutch plays and funny moments.
• Memes and reactions. The default use, and still the most reliable for daily engagement.
• Wins and milestones. Fitness, study, business, and hobby servers can star real progress: a PR, a finished project, a first sale.
• Helpful answers. In support or learning communities, a star can flag a genuinely great explanation so it gets saved instead of lost in scroll.
• Fan art and creations. Creative servers can turn the board into a rotating showcase gallery.

Some servers run a second emoji for a specific board, for example a 🏆 trophy that feeds a #wins channel separately from the main ⭐ #best-of. That's where supporting multiple boards becomes useful (more on that in the FAQ).

A starboard is also a strong tool for bringing a quiet server back to life. If yours has gone flat, pairing a fresh starboard with the tactics in how to revive a dead Discord server gives people an immediate, low-effort reason to participate again.

FAQ

How do I stop people from starring their own messages?

Most starboard bots have a "self-star" or "allow self-star" toggle, switch it off. With self-stars disabled, the author's own reaction doesn't count toward the threshold, so a message has to earn genuine support from other members before it reaches the board.

Can I keep NSFW or age-restricted content off the starboard?

Yes. Exclude any NSFW or age-restricted channels from the starboard in the bot's settings, or restrict the starboard channel itself. This keeps highlighted content appropriate for your whole server and avoids surfacing flagged messages where everyone can see them.

Can I run more than one starboard in a server?

It depends on the bot. Some bots support a single starboard, while more advanced ones (and PeakBot's setup) let you run multiple boards keyed to different emojis, for example a ⭐ general highlights board and a 🏆 wins board. Check whether your bot supports multiple boards before planning channels around it.

What's a good starting threshold for a new starboard?

Start low so the board fills up and people learn it works: 2 to 3 reactions for a small server, 4 to 6 for a few hundred active members, and 8 or more for large servers. Raise it later once starring becomes a habit.

Is a starboard free in PeakBot?

Yes. Starboard is one of PeakBot's 30+ free features with no time limit and no trial, alongside XP and leveling, reaction roles, tickets, and moderation. You can see the full list on the features page or compare plans on the pricing page.